Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

When most people think of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), they are likely to imagine a person who is obsessed with being clean. An image arrises of someone constantly organising things, or washing their hands over and over. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is however a lot more complicated and for the people living with it, it’s a lot more intense than the stereotypes suggest.

From a contemporary psychological perspective OCD is understood as consisting of two parts: obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are intrusive, often disturbing thoughts or images that enter into your head. They are uninvited and unwanted. They are differ from everyday worries. They are the type of thoughts that rattle you, especially because they often go against your own values or beliefs. The compulsions follow the obsessive thoughts. Compulsions are repetitive behaviours or mental rituals people engage in in an attempt to silence the obsessive thoughts and to ease the anxiety associated with the obsessive thoughts.

Examples of compulsive behaviour are: checking that the door is locked for the tenth time, silently repeating a phrase, or avoiding people or situations all together.

OCD is particularly difficult because it becomes intertwined with your experience of yourself. Obsessive thoughts make you question who you are and what you believe. You know the thoughts don’t make sense, but they feel real. And because they are so close to your core beliefs, it can feel isolating or even shameful. A lot of people don’t talk about OCD because they’re afraid of being misunderstood.

Nonetheless, OCD is treatable. Psychoanalytic treatment of OCD and other forms of Obsessional Neurosis considers the way that certain repetitive or obsessive thoughts stand in place of a deeper fear or source of anxiety that has been repressed and hence is not able to be accessed by the conscious mind. Psychoanalysis or Psychodynamic Psychotherapy are effective ways of understanding and permanently overcoming OCD.

Behavioural therapy compliments a psychoanalytic approach and is a practical intervention. One of the most effective behavioural treatments is called Exposure and Response Prevention. This is a type of therapy that helps you face obsessive thoughts without falling into the trap of compulsive behaviour.